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Tangka(Thangka) Art,a transliteration of a Tibetan word, refers to a kind of painting scroll mounted on dyed brocade. The tangkha painting is one of two splendid gems of Tibetan art along with Tibetan-style murals. A tangkha is usually one metre long, but the largest could extend for several dozen metres. For their distinct ethnic flavor, heady religious aura, and unique art style, tangkha has been cherished among the Tibetans as treasures. These paintings cover a wide range of themes, which fall into the following categories.
Mahasanghika school of tangka painting. This school of tangkha painting is devoted ot Sakyamuni, Maitreyand the Eighteen Arhats who are the main characters of the Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism. Painints devoted to this sect are found in various temples in Tibet.
Esoteric School of tangkha painting. The figures portrayed by this school of tangkha painting are mostly in grotesque and ferocious images. Quite a few of the paintings feature two figures that have their bodies intertwined. |
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